North East Brew

Reviews and reflections on craft brews and meads from the North East (U.S.) and the places that serve and brew them. Suggest a review

[nebrew]

Swisher, by Carton Brewing, Atlantic Highlands, NJ. Served at Maloneys, Matawan, NJ

[nebrew]

Swisher, cherry smoked porter from Carton Brewing, Atlantic Highlands, NJ

[nebrew]

Recant: Yard's Philadelphia Pale Ale

I must retract/revise my initial review of Yard's Philadelphia Pale Ale, which basicly deemed it tasteless.  I recently popped a warm Philly Pale Ale and found it delightfully balanced, slightly biscuity with a grapefruit and noble hops flavor.

It was so good I went and got one out of the fridge to see if it was the coldness that altered my initial perceptions, but no, the frosty pale ale was also excellent. I think I was just on a super hop kick at the time and had numbed my tongue a bit or more refined drinkable beers like this fine pale ale.

I will be revisiting my negative reviews and impressions to see if my palette has changed or if I misjudged.

I have two Rochefort abbey beers in the fridge, and a number of items from the craft beer box assortment, and a long trail imperial pumpkin waiting for review and also I will be listening to Miles Davis bitches brew and kind of blue while drinking a Dogfish Head Bitches Brew. I know I have been slothful, please excuse me. New reviews soon. 

[nebrew]

Balls Deep Pumpkin Ale

Here I have a rare specimen of some local New Jersey brew. This "Something Cold, Something Brewed" pumpkin ale is made by Balls Deep Brewery, here in south Jersey. 

This beer was brewed specially for a friends wedding.

The scent is light and slightly sour with a bready, faint pumpkin meat core smell with a hint of clove and nutmeg. The head is ebullient and foams vigorously with an excellent golden fractal lace. The foam has an endearing pumpkin edge and a slightly bitter, nutmeg finish.

The drink is hazy and cider colored and has a ginger finish. The mouth feel is smooth and crisp with a light carbonation. The palate is very balanced, riding on cloves and fat pumpkin and then widening out in to pie spice and ginger. The malt is subdued and slightly sweet which pairs well with the pumpkin. I feel the pumpkin flavor comes through very well in this ale.

If you ever find yourself with the opportunity to grab a Balls Deep Brew, do it!

[nebrew]

Bitterer than the Devils taint.

So I have come to report the first bottling of one my own beer efforts, a pale ale.

On first tasting here, it is quite possibly the most vulgarly bitter beer I have ever tasted. I don't think it gets much more bitter. I bittered this with more Summit hops than I think I realized for 60 mins. Making 1 oz additions  every 10-15 mins and at the end of boil and dry hopping later. It is a hop mix of 90% Summit leaf hop with I think 10% Cascade pellets.

It was decently clear but I was very heavy handed with the bottling and murkied it up a lot.

The finish is never ending. I've been tasting hops for fifteen minutes and that's from two sips.

I tasted it first warm and then added two ice cubes to dilute the super concentrated flavor profile. I was about a factor/an exponent stronger than I intended for the bitterness. This has stained my tongue with hops resin. 

Details again after it has sat for at least two weeks developing carbonation and settling.

[nebrew]

Chatoe Rogue First Growth Single Malt Ale.

Here is a Single Malt and Single Hops (SMaSH) from Rogue Ales from Newport, Oregon. I found this beer and then was reading in the Hops book and there was a passage about Rogue's small, in-house, grow-your-own project where they grow some barley and hops and sometimes brew with them.

The bottle is labelled GYO (grow your own) and also gives the longitude and latitudinal coordinates of their 'Micro Farm.' Claims 12 degrees Plato, 35 IBU and 77 AA and 10 degrees L, which excuse me but I don't know what those last two are at the moment.

Also claims 'No chemicals, preservatives or additives.' Which must mean No additional chemicals, since all things are made up of chemicals. But certainly it's a nice sentiment.

This ale is made with Dare barley malt and Revolution hops.

The scent is lightly bready, sassafras, floral hoppiness. The head is sturdy velvet bubbles which have a strongly bitter finish.

The color is autumn gold with an almost peach blush to it.  There is a slight aroma of cheese, star fruit, slight melon. The drink has a clean lip and a pleasant body that is not sweet, yet balanced with the polite but piquant hops. The hops remind me of a Saaz or Hallertau, but with a subtle aroma shift. 

This is a very presentable back-to-the-land attitude beer. I have to say I appreciate what Rogue is doing, I think it is neat that they are experiencing the nuances of the farming and agriculture. I will keep my eyes open for more in-house beers like this. This was a good drink.

[nebrew]

a hefe weizen for Halloween.

Here's a Schneider Weisse Original German hefe-weizen ale. I was spontaneously craving a hefe weizen beer and here it is.

It's labelled Tap 7, and 5.4% ABV. Claims to be brewed with open fermentation at Bavaria's oldest wheat beer brewery. Presumably brewed in Munich, Germany.

This wheat beer has virtually no head in this instance, it did initially foam but quickly dissipated. There seems to be hardly any aroma. 

It tastes clean and crisp, with no offending flavors. It is smooth and not fiery with a stimulating bit of carbonation sparkling across the cheek and tongue. 

At this point I added the last 5% of the bottle and swirled in some dregs for mit-hefe weizen (wheat beer with yeast)

The ale is slightly bitter, maybe 10-14 IBU's in my estimate, and mostly devoid of sweetness. 

To me it is much like a tasty heartier lager, even though it is an ale. The color is unsweetened iced tea, or russet potato brown.

I'm not tasting much clove, and no banana, while friendly this beverage certainly is a bit more businesslike in its flavor profile in contrast to the Franziskaner weissbier.

[nebrew]

Otter Creek - Oktoberfest Lager

This beer is the first suggested to me for a review. Otter Creek hails from Middlebury, Vermont. The label claims to be a limited release, brewed with German Hallertau and Tettnanger Hops. It does not label the ABV.

This lager is carnelian in color, more orange than the photo reveals. The smell is light and noble with notes of straw.

The drink has a copper flavored edge and finish. It dapple on the sides of the tongue tip and then quickly on to the back of the tongue and throat. The body is very narrow, lightly carbonated and bitter. It's crisp and relatively smooth although the copper is a bit over done. 

The flavor profile is simple and could be very successful, but I feel that at least the batch I got does not live up to its potential. Very little malt sweetness comes through. It's very much like drinking carbonated coppery water. But maybe I am less experienced with lagers?

[nebrew]

Craft Beer Variety Pack

Here's a neat box of beer I picked up. It's labelled craft beer variety pack, and I believe the most of the contents might be local. It's like a random brew box, a beer lottery.

We have a 

Smuttynose, Wunderbar Pilsner, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Terrapin, Rye Pale Ale, Athens, Georgia

Dogfish Head, Punkin Ale, Milton, Delaware

Yards, Thomas Jefferson's Tavern Ale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Troegs, Pale Ale, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Session Red Lager, Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, Oregon

Schlafly, Golden Ale, St. Louis, Missouri

Wachusett, Blueberry, Westminster, Massachusetts 

Flying Dog, Imperial Porter, Frederick, Maryland

Breckenridge, Lucky U IPA, (a homage to Tivoli Brewery) Denver, CO

Avery Brewing Co., IPA, Boulder, Colorado

Caldera, IPA, Ashland, Oregon

Wow, that's a sweet variety. I'd like to snag another box if they're not gone already. There's stuff from all over, and stuff I'd rather just get one of than a six in order to try. It's not as local as the sales guy seemed to say but it's got a good mix of local beers and beers from around the country.

I'll report back after I chill one of these.

[nebrew]

Rodenbach - Grand Cru

Here's another non local brew, this one hailing from Belgium.

Grand Cru is a Belgian Ale known as Flemish Red Brown Ale, according to the label. Which also claims that the bottle is 67% Ale aged for two years in oak barrels and 33% Young Ale, which I am unsure whether that means krausening/active fermentation ale, or unaged ale after primary fermentation.

The ale has an odor of vinegar, red wine, worcestershire sauce, raisin, orange peel. It smells meaty like steak. Literally steak scented. Jerkied meats, soy sauce, prunes, leather and sweat present themselves in the bouquet.

Grand Cru clocks in at 6% ABV and has a deep chestnut brown color with a reddish fire when light permeates the beverage.

The flavor is bizarre to my senses, tart, sour wood, vinegar, sherry. Lightly carbonated with small bubbles, the taste shimmies across the back of the tongue and mouth like static electric.

This drink so far is just sippable, very complex, certainly not quaffable. It's formidable.

This would probably be good with barbecued meats, or grainy dishes, corn or pasta or pilaf.

This is not an easily accessible flavor profile for new drinkers, and even seasoned drinkers might find this a perplexing and challenging beverage. It does have a sort of medieval macho appeal to it, I can certainly envision drinking this along side a well  roasted half chicken before riding horse back in to knightly mischief/service.

[nebrew]

Franziskaner Weissbier

Here we have Franziskaner Weissbier. The label claims little besides being brewed in Munich, Germany and that it is brewed in accordance with Bavarian Purity Law of 1516, called Reinheitsgebot.

I am expecting this beer to have a lot of yeast in suspension, yet the beer looks surprisingly uncloudy through the bottle.

The scent is full of ripe banana, a light bitter scent, like hops but sweeter, with hints of clove and malt.

The head is sweet, with more banana and and ale-y tang. 

The beer is hazy, but not exceptionally so. It has a moderate carbonation.

The body is smooth, crisp and sour.

The beer has a bitter undertone in the finish that fades out quickly with creme brule and cider as mid notes with a touch of grain and sour alder. The sourness is nice and polite and understated, giving a bit of pucker with successive sips. Cloves work their magic in the background, not overpowering. 

Although unimportant to my current enjoyment, I wish this drink had its ABV labelled for my curiosity.

I think this Franziskaner Brau Hefe-Weissbier is very accessible and a good first taste of Munich's wheat beer tradition. I would offer this to a friend whom has yet to find a beer that strikes them as interesting and not overwhelmingly complex.

The back of my tongue is receiving dry cinnamon notes and slight warm nutmeg. 

This beer is quite charming and fitting for the fall season, refreshing and dusky in flavor notes almost like a good pumpkin pie.

If you're bored with whatever you've been drinking, why not try a weiss or a hefeweizen?

OK, I have to admit that I poured the dregs in the cup, but also this beer seems to have very little yeast so I will keep my eyes out for a truly yeasty beast and see if I regret drinking that.

[nebrew]

SlyFox Pikeland Pils; Pottstown, Pennsylvania

SlyFox brews the Pikeland Pilsner which weighs in at 4.9 % ABV. This canned brew claims to be a north German style pilsner made with German and Czech hops and German Pils malt.

The aroma is very subdued and clean. The foam cast a wide yellow lace which slowly falls. The head has a tangy dryness and a taste of malt.

Pikeland Pils is a smooth drinker which features some very tactful hops of a slightly noble, floral vein. It claims 44 IBUs but it is not nearly as hop-potent as anything I've had from Sierra Navada. I find the hops to be primarily scent and flavor hops, low alpha style. I wonder which hops are brewed in to this, maybe Saaz and something Hallertauer, but who knows.

This is a good beer to go with snacks and sports television. 

[nebrew]

Victory Prima Pils Pilsner

So today we're going blonde. Pilsner blonde. Victory brews their Primo Pils in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

With the cap popped, the smell billows out ripe with juicy, fat, grain.

The head is lush, with notes of tasteful hops, pasta, wheat, biscuit.

The head was quite tall with a medium fine lace, but I licked most of it away trying to remember a flavor note that was prevalent and obvious in the first taste, but then I got distracted and forgot the word for the flavor. Oops.

This beer is refreshing, with just enough hops to balance the understated light malt body. It is free from flavors that might detract such as fruity esters or buttery diacetyl.

The drink is also an endearing saffron or lemon. 

Very drinkable. An approachable option for someone looking for a beer from a craft brewery but who is not hip to many of the more complex or jarring styles.

[nebrew]

Smuttynose Farmhouse Ale

Smuttynose from Portsmouth, New Hampshire  produces this Farmhouse Ale which is billed as being brewed with sage. The ABV is not labelled. The labelled says it uses a Belgian Saison yeast in the brew process.

The ale has sourdough musty smell. The beer is a very light flaxen color.

I could see enjoying this beer in a mug in a musty straw bale filled barn. There is a slight slatey/metalish finish but it fades quickly and is not excessively detrimental.

Overall the ale is surprisingly refreshing and balanced if just briskly sour.

This was very drinkable and would be great with an array of cheeses and italian meats.

[nebrew]

Troegs: Mad Elf Ale

So I have to admit this is probably early for this beer which clocks in at 11% ABV. It is billed as being brewed with honey and cherries which makes me wonder if it is a braggot at heart. The head starts out like a beer but soon falls and settles like a mead.

This is a seasonal beer that Troegs releases around Thanksgiving and Christmas. This beer hails from Pennsylvania.

The beer tastes of root beer, birch, black cherry, willow. It sips like a fine mead. The higher alcohol sits very well in this fresh tasting brew. An excellent family celebration beer. 

some of Mad Elf's flavor profile might be on a parallel with Zombie Killer cyser, which also is based on honey and cherries.

I would love to sit on a porch on a snowy day and sip a mug of Mad Elf and eat some ginger cookies.

This once a year beer is worth the wait. Grab a six'er while you can.

[nebrew]

Sierra Nevada's Hoptimum (100 IBU) IIPA

Ok so this beer is not local, hailing from Chico, California. But the packaging was superbly executed and drew me in as a beer drinker and it came home with me.

It is billed as a whole-cone Imperial India Pale Ale which clocks in at a whopping 10.4% ABV. 

The head tastes of pineapple, butter scotch maltiness, piney mint. The head is custard colored and holds a soft intricate lace which stands strongly. There is a sage-y nuttiness as the foam crosses the roof of the mouth.

The label features a colonial styled gentleman with a head of hops. A gentleman hophead per se.

The beer leads with malty edges which propelled by a hoppy finish. The caramel malt dances well with the intense green resinous hops are spicy and bitter and tangy. 

Drinkable albeit powerful and complex, this ale is even headed, with a smooth body and  a sour woody finish.

The hops in this beer are of a uniform character. Possibly Cascade but undeclared on the packaging. This beer is very good but it is more bitter than I would reach for on a regular basis. I feel as if there is some hops suds foaming up my esophagus, bubbling at the back of my throat. Like I might burp hop bubbles. 

I tried this beer because I was curious for an intensely bitter experience and it's more than plenty.

[nebrew]

So I have to admit I haven't been able to really appreciate every beer I have tried, and a few have even gotten the sink. 

Here is my list that didn't make it: Flying Fish Extra Pale Ale, Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale, Victory Headwater Pale Ale, and Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale.

Of those, all were unpleasant to me primarily for a metallic taste. Except the Yards Philly Pale which was rather too bland.

Forgive me beer.